Congrats to Flash Fiction Winner Dick Waters

Today we’re pleased to announce Dick Waters as the winner of the Indies Unlimited weekly Flash Fiction competition.

The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.

Congratulations to Dick, and thanks to everyone who participated – excellent entries! Now, without further ado, here’s the winning entry: Continue reading “Congrats to Flash Fiction Winner Dick Waters”

On Writing Advice: I Have None

It occurred to me that my three most recent Ed’s Casual Friday posts were all basically “writing advice” things; one about “cinematic” elements, one about naming characters, and one about exposition. Looking back over all three, it struck me that I felt the need to start each with a proviso about my lack of fondness for “how-to” writing advice. The disclaimers went something like this:

Let me first fully acknowledge that I subscribe to the Different Strokes school of literary advice, inasmuch as “What might be right for you, may not be right for some.”
– Book v. Movie, Steel-Cage Death Match, 8/24/12 Continue reading “On Writing Advice: I Have None”

Peter Green Announces New Release

Author Peter Green is pleased to announce the release of his new mystery novel, Crimes of Design.

Crimes of DesignWhen architect Patrick MacKenna discovers the dead body of his staunchest advocate on the site of his controversial new town project, within hours he’s a murder suspect. As attacks against the infrastructure increase, he wonders who, in his nether world of conniving colleagues, land speculators, newsmongers, venal politicians, bored bureaucrats and greedy contractors, is attacking his city, and why?

Aided by Meg Stewart, the developer’s project manager, who must overcome her own troubled past to help Patrick and win his heart, MacKenna reluctantly accepts the aid of Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Reiner and tough, sexy FBI Agent Bobbi Romano to scour St. Louis’s underbelly and chase through Mexico and the Mississippi valley to run down the plotters. But Patrick must still confront a ruthless killer to save his city, his family, his career and his very life.

Crimes of Design was released in May 2012 by L&L Dreamspell. It is available from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble.

Music

I write a lot of different kinds of things. I write marketing stuff, fiction, music. I think it would behoove us to focus on that last one for a second, though. One of the things I stressed the most about writing when I was teaching workshops was very simple: music.

Whether you are writing a song or not, you are writing music. Rhythm, assonance, alliteration…these are like the whipped cream on top of the writing cake. Writing is a very complicated proposition. You need to tell a story, but you want to “lull” the reader into the story…you don’t want them to be aware that they are being told a story. So, you hypnotize.

Continue reading “Music”